The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-04-09


her whom he loved, with plenty. And
now, when he was no longer Young, and
on the verge of succumbing to a cruel
fate, this long delayed success seemed
like bombshell thrown into the camp; it
fred his blood with all the ardor of youth
long ebsence, the drudgeries and hard
ships that he had struggled through
stood as nothing; "Home, home, wife and
child" sounded in his ears.
The hearty congratulations OF his old
comrades-for one of whom he had peril
ed his life; another he had nursed
through a long illness; and with still an
other he had shared his daily pittance.
Indeed, he had endeared himself to all
by his unselfishness and accomplishing
patience. Their lotheness to part with
him were but straws in the way; he had
almost spent his life for this consumma-
ton.
He made preparations for departure in
feverisb haste. "Good-by, and God bless
you," to his old comrades, rapid trip,
and he bad reached home; but where
was the young wife with the babe in her
arms?
She had aged like himself and the
child had grown into sweet young
maiden; but the changes that time had
wrought were nothing to his faithful
love.
In the midst of his eager protestations
his wife turned pale and faltered that she
had thought him dead and had married
again. The law would remedy the mis-
take that she had unwittingly made
and God and man would acquit her of
blame. She had mourned for him in
widows weeds and could not resurrect
the love that she had buried in the grave;
children that were hers, not his, glad
dened her heart. They we're happy
united family, and she besought him to
go away and leave them in peace. "This
is the harvest of my neglect" he said.
at is just retribution Of God," sadly
turning away from the door that should
open to him never again, henceforth to
be wanderer upon the face of the earth.
What cared he for this late aftermath of
| fortune if she we're not to share it with
him; for her sake alone it had been Of
priceless value, full of beautiful posi-
bilitee; but now it represented only its
gross weight in gold. He loathed it, and
| to dispossess himself of it was his sole
| thought. And to whom should he give
it if not to her who was the mother of his
child, and who had been his guiding star
through all the perils of the long years Of
their separation? Acting upon this i'm
pulse, after reserving sufficient means to
defray his expenses back to California,
he legally and without her knowledge en-
dowed his wife with the residue of his
fortune.
He arrived in California without PEN
ny and recommended the struggle OF
life, laboring mechanically, actuated
solely by that first law of nature-self-
preservation; for no longer from afar
shone the beacon-hghts from the win
dows of home to incite and cheer him on
the way. Ont loose from his mooring,
he felt his bark drifting he knew not,
nor cared not where.
He continued TO work here and there
for years in a half. hearted, despairing
way, often performing the simple acts of
charity that fell in his way, rather from
the natural instincts of his soul than from
any pleasure derived therefrom: for he
had fallen into lethargic condition of
brain and body, and seemed to view life
as through dream. At last the strain
upon his nerves gave way and he became
the victim Of a slow fever and was con-
veyed to hospital whence, upon con-
valescence, he was removed to the poor
house. Here, captive and helpless, sur
rounded by disgusting sights and sounds,
he was seized with desperate desire to
escape; but beyond these prison walls
what charms did life hold for him-no
wife, no child, and no longer able to sup
port himself?
CONCLUDED NEXT WEEK.